Tree-prop.



W. P. SHEPHERD.

TREE PROP. APPLICATION FILED IBB.16, 1912.

1,078,004, Patented Nov.- 11, 1913.

unrrn r WINFRED P. SHEPHERD, 0E RIVERSIDE,

CALIFORNIA, or RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA.

ASSIGNOR TO GEO. I). PARKER TREE-P303.

Specification of Letters Patent.

, Patented No'vrll, 1913.

Application filed February 16,-1912. .":S eria1 110,678,064.

T0 ellwhom it may concern: l i 7 Be, it known that I, WIN RED P. SHEP- HERD, a citizen of the United States, reslding at Riverside, in the county of Riverside and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements inTree Props, of which the following is a specification. 7

This invent-ion relates to adjustable prop brackets. I Y

of time and labor to emplace, to the use-of poles or props which may be quickly set up,

and having some sort of adjustable brackets thereon on which the braced limbs may rest. My invention relates particularly to the latter type.

making improvements therein. principal aims has been to obtain a devlce which can be quickly put in place or removed. Of greater importance is the neces most cheaply produced, but are more prone to damage the bark of trees (by reason of the small breadth of the supporting surfaces) than the sheet metal devices. It is therefore an object to provide an improved adjustable bracket enabling the useof wire wheremost desirable,and permitting the use of sheet metal conveniently and economically where essential for directly engaging the limb to be supported.

It is an object of this invention to provide an improved adjustable bracket, therefore? of suchconstruction as will enable the combining of the advantages of both the sheet metal and wire construction in one device.

A further ob ect 1s to provld'e an anchoring means for securing the bracket to a pole,

which will be quickly adjustable yet positive in operation, and in which the weight of a supported'limb will act to secure it in place positively,

. Another object is to enable the pivotal at Throughout this development, certain considerations governed those;

One of the,

Such brackets have comprised manyv I tachment of a sheet metal limb supporting hook we wire anchoring yoke in-a simple manner. 1 I

l A still further objeCtiS to adapt the deviceto be folded into a small space, and allow a plurality of them to be nested for shipmentin a compact form.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and Methods of propping tree limbs have pro gressed from the use ofstays connecting various limbs, which required a great amount L from the drawings, in which i Figure 1 is a side view of the device engaged-upon a pole and supporting a limb,

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of the device detached, Fig. 3 is a detail View showing a plurality of the devices nested, i There is illustrated a-pole 10, having engaged; therewith a bracket comprising the securing or anchoring yoke 11 and the swiveled bracket hook 12, in which there rests a limb 13. p

The anchor yoke comprises a single piece of wire of suitable weight, preferably galvanized or otherwise treated to protect it from corrosion; the wire being bent into approximately U-shaped form, thus providing the rectilinear bight portion 1 1 from which spring the parallel arms 15 at right angles to the bight. The extremitiesof the arms are sharply pointed and recurved inwardly in spaced relation approximately parallel to the arms and suitably spaced therefrom to form spurs 15', so that they may readily e11- gage the prop when projected into the yoke.

The bracket hook comprises a plain rectangular blank of sheet metal or other material' suitable for the use, the corners ofwhich blank may be rounded at two or more corners. Two longitudinally extending loops 16 are pressed toward the back side of the hook, from near one'end at and inhook. The intermediate portion of material innerface of the hook forming a loop 17 metal in the loops 16 which would occur if the middle portion were left unbent.- Beeluding respective longitudinal edge portions of the blank, which is curved continuously from these loops toward the farther end of the blank and forwardly, to form the ,between the loops 16 is pressed toward the greatly strengthened. As the tendency of jcu'rved toward the outer face, making'thel ginning immediately adjacent the loop 17 the material of the hook is transversely inner surface convex. In the formation of this transverse curvature the edge portionsv of the metal are stretched so that they resist the return of the device to its original flat form. Thus in addition to providing a" rounded surface adapted to support a :limb without damage to the bark the hookis the hook to flex-or bendunder excessive I 1 weight supported thereby is not manifest im-' i the yoke.

'a'rehel-d in the last mentioned relative posi- "whereby it forms a chock as Willbe explained.

mediately adjacent the loops, it is made pos' 'sible' to begin this transverse curvature gradually so that rupture-of the metal is not 7 made a liability.

The hook receives the bight portion of the yoke 11 revolubly within the loops, the

mid dleone going onone side and the side loops engaging over the other side of the;

lii ght, and it"will of course be understood that it is necessary to so engage the wire before the bending; thereof into its final shape. The smallportion of the blank pro j'ectingoutwardly ofthe loops opposite the hook may be turned rearwardly as at 18 or locking means,

In use, a pole prop- 10' is used the transverse dimension of which in one direction is'sli ghtly less than the distance between the arms 15 and i nthe'other direction a little lessthan the distance between the points of the "spurs 15 and the top of the chock 18 when the hook is lifted fto-bring the bill 19 into a line at right angles to the plane of Thus when the'hook and yoke ti-on' the yoke maybe slipped easily over the pole to any desired position, and when at the proper point, by lowering the hook, the cliiockls strikesagainst thepole, embedding the spurs 15" securely in the pole; the outer end of the chock underthi's movement finally "passesabove the plane of the yoke, whereby in" which lies the'direction of force acting between the spurs and the fulcrum ofthe hook, and the resultant force acting upon thechock through the pole tends to hold the hook against casual movement into "adjust- Ting or released position and also holds the flieok against the pole preventing any loose 'play" thereof; 'VI'IOXVQVGLI, in addition to the 'chokflS, orwithoutit, it will be noted that. the hook itself performs a cam bearingaction upon the pole tending to force the spurs 15"into the pole under the weight carried the hook, and by' providing' the spurs or teeth 20 on'the rear sidethereof a downward pull will be exerted by the hook upon It is of course and held revolubly between special size of props avoided. It may even save the cost of'obtamlng milled lumber entirely, as ordinary sapl ng poles may be .used, the hook "automatically. accommodating itself tothe variances in diameter of such a pole and engaging it at any-desired point to draw the yoke spurs thereinto.

A most important advantage of the device is the compact manner in which it may be packaged, the completed devices occupying but little more than the space which would be required for the hooks alone, as may be seen iirFi'g; '3, where it will be seen that the hooks are made so as to oecupythe space within the yokes when super imsed one upon another. V

appreciated that various methods for making the hook rigid may be employed in addition to that before described, such for instanee,f'as thelongitudinally extending ribs 22 formed on the inner side of the hook. The hook may also be transversely curved at the same time, as shown, whereby the rigidity is considerably augmented and the side edges of' tl'iehook so disposed as to not engage the limbs supported.

What is claimed is: t

1. In a device of the class described, the combination with an anchor yoke formed of wire comprising bight portion and arms adapted to embrace a pole, the ends of the to the hook.

2. In an adjustable bracket for tree props, the combination with a wire anchor yoke adapted for engagement with a prop and having a rectilinear bight, of a sheet metal limb engaging hook having a rounded central portion adapted to engage a limb for support thereof without abrasion, and having longitudinal slitsadjacent one end, parts of the metal of thehook intermediately of and laterally adjacent the slits being respectively bowed outwardly and inwardly, the said bight being engaged through the slits the opposed bowed portions of the hook.

31 A device of the class described comprising a pole engaging yoke adapted for free sliding movement overa pole, and a limb supporting bracket element pivoted thereon and; adapted to li-ewithin the yoke at times, said bracket being formed for nesting in a similar one with the yokes in superposed relationtherearound. 3 a

4. A device of the class described comprisinga pole engaging yoke adapted to slidably embrace a pole and having inwardly directed spurs adapted to engage a pole therewithin when forced thereagainst, a bracket hook pivoted on the yoke opposite the spurs 10 the cam portion directed toward the pivot whereby the yoke will Ice forced into diagonal position onthe pole.

In testimony whereof I have herennto set] my hand in presence of two snbscrlbing witnesses.

I wINFREn 1 SHEPHERD; Witnesses I i y M. CoNDoN,

H. L. THOMPSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the. Commissioner. of Patents,

Washington, I). 0. 

